Kari Oates, right, and her husband Don, walk through what remains of their home on Highway MS in Boscobel. A tornado on Aug. 7 caused significant damage to some parts of the city but missed most of the Grant County community.
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Guide Gabe Stelzer holds a smallmouth bass caught by a client in June using a fly rod on the Menominee River in northeastern Wisconsin. The river is being threatened by a proposed open pit mine.
In May, two sections of Wittnebel's Tavern in Old Ashippun headed south on Highway 67 near Oconomowoc. The 27-mile move to Old World Wisconsin took about 95 minutes.
The sun rises over Winnequah Park in Monona during an outdoor curling tournament in January. The rink was built by volunteers who are members of the Madison Curling Club, which was closed due to the pandemic.
Mike Nehs, below, and Neal Vogt of Snowblind, one of three teams from Wisconsin, work on "Tribal Dance," the entry that would place third in the 2021 U.S. National Snow Sculpting Championship in Lake Geneva in February.
The Platteville Produce Auction opened this past spring north of Platteville and features plants, vegetables and homemade items from area Amish and Mennonite farmers.
Terri Van Orman, executive director of Folklore Village near Ridgeway, is seen through a window of the Aslak Lie House, an 1840s-era timber cabin being reconstructed on the grounds of the cultural preservation site.
A skate worn by Madison native and Olympic speed skating champion Eric Heiden is displayed in the Winter Olympics gallery at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Jesse Peterson used the Nut Wizard, a rolling wire ball, to harvest fallen black walnuts in early October from the yard of Chris Gill in Fitchburg.
Thousands of LED lights were installed on, in and around Tom Every’s Forevertron sculpture, illuminated during a celebration in October of the late artist’s life at Dr. Evermor’s Sculpture Park.
Photos: A year in photos of On Wisconsin
Grooming the snowmobile trail
Vaughn Watzke, a 50-year member of the Waunakee Winter Wanderers Snowmobile Club, has a wide view from the seat of a Sno-Cat pulling a grooming sled near the village of Dane. Last week's snow and another storm that began Saturday have put snowmobile trails in Dane County in good shape.
Grooming the snowmobile trail
Grooming equipment can cost more than $200,000 but even in southern Wisconsin, where the snow can be inconsistent, clubs say the investment is worth it to maintain their networks of trails that draw riders from around the region and even from out of state.
Outdoor Curling in Monona
Blair Fogeltanz, of Madison, was bundled for the elements Saturday for the Pandemispeil, an outdoor curling tournament at Winnequah Park in Monona. With the Madison Curling Club closed due to COVID-19, members build an outdoor rink. The tournament, which continues Sunday, drew 16 teams from around the state and one team from Detroit.
Outdoor Curling in Monona
Joel Shoemaker, right, of Middleton, and Ken Levin, of Madison, size up a grouping of stones during Saturday's outdoor curling tournament in Monona.
Outdoor Curling in Monona
Greg Silver, of Monticello, eyes up the stones as he prepares to instruct a teammate on where to throw from the other end of the rink.
Outdoor Curling in Monona
Sarah Kirchoff of Madison prepares for a little warmth following a game Saturday during an outdoor curling tournament in Monona.
Driftless Traditional Tannery
Bethany Storm uses a power washer to clean a sheepskin while, in the background, Danielle Dockery scrapes flesh off a sheepskin as the hides are prepared for tanning at Driftless Traditional Tannery in Paoli.
Driftless Traditional Tannery
Danielle Dockery, right, and Bethany Storm, left, go through the wash process as they process sheep hides at Driftless Traditional Tannery in Paoli.
Driftless Traditional Tannery
Brandi Bonde uses a power sander to smooth the leather side of a sheepskin at at Driftless Traditional Tannery in Paoli. Bonde also uses a pumice stone to fine-tune the smoothness of the leather.
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The Toy Train barn is filled with model trains but the past two years haven't been easy for Buck and Jan Guthrie. In 2019, they kept the doors closed after Buck was diagnosed with cancer and they remained closed in 2020 due to COVID-19. Now they’re hoping to reopen this May as Buck is doing better and has been vaccinated. The couple was photographed Thursday, March4, 2021. STEVE APPS, STATE JOURNAL
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Buck Guthrie in a section of the display. The Toy Train barn is filled with model trains but the past two years haven't been easy for Buck and Jan Guthrie. In 2019, they kept the doors closed after Buck was diagnosed with cancer and they remained closed in 2020 due to COVID-19. Now they’re hoping to reopen this May as Buck is doing better and has been vaccinated. The couple was photographed Thursday, March4, 2021. STEVE APPS, STATE JOURNAL
Toy Train Barn Museum
Buck Guthrie opened his Toy Train Barn Museum in 2001 and includes hundreds of train cars and miles of track.
Walker's Clothing & Shoes
Steve Walker, left, shares a conversation with Karri Schauff, who along with her husband, David, have purchased Walker's Clothing & Shoes in downtown Lancaster. The business was founded by Steve Walker's grandfather in 1928. Karri Schauff is a former employee who has a children's clothing store in the Grant County city.
Walker's Clothing & Shoes
Boxes of shoes crowd narrow passageways in the basement of Walker’s Clothing & Shoes. The store is home to 23,000 pair of shoes, most stored in the basement and upper levels of the retailer's four buildings in downtown Lancaster. The business is one of the largest independently owned shoe retailers in the state.
Walker's Clothing & Shoes
There are few communities in Wisconsin where a department store is part of the downtown retail landscape. Walker’s Clothing & Shoes in Lancaster has bucked that trend over the last 93 years.
Nate Carroll
Nate Carroll continues his quest to hit a world record of just over 1.5 million push-ups in a year. The Winneconne social worker is raising funds for the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which pays off mortgages for the families of law enforcement officers, firefighters and other first responders killed in the line of duty.
Groovy Wood Studio
Restored mid-century modern stereo consoles fill the showroom at Steve Paulet’s Groovy Wood Studio in Madison.
Groovy Wood Studio
Mike Weiland works on the restoration of a German-made Blaupunkt console radio cabinet at Groovy Wood Studio.
Groovy Wood Studio
A mid-century modern radio console restored by workers at Groovy Wood Studio is displayed inside the Madison business.
Winter has arrived in northern Wisconsin
Doug Annis releases a small northern on a Vilas County Lake on Saturday. Fishing was slow but there was plenty of ice and tons of snow.
Fish Lake
For decades, Ganser Dance Hall on Fish Lake was a destination, but since 2002 has been a private home. It was removed last week at a cost of $37,000 due to rising waters on the Dane County lake.
Fish Lake
A home along Fish Lake Road in northwestern Dane County has been moved to higher ground and awaits a new foundation.
Fish Lake
Paddle boarders ply the water over what was once an alfalfa field on the Marx farm on the western edge of Fish Lake. The farmhouse was moved to higher ground last fall, and the farm has lost more than 30 acres of land to rising water over the years.
Fish Lake
An angler in a kayak approaches one of several flooded homes along Fish Lake Road.
Dane County Farmers' Market
The crowds grew quickly at Saturday's Dane County Farmers' Market on Capitol Square. The market had been held since April 2020 at the Alliant Energy Center.
Dane County Farmers Market
Bill Lewiston of Lewiston Perennial Farm in Portage had a large assortment of freshly cut flowers Saturday at the Dane County Farmers Market.
Dane County Farmers Market
Amos Mayberry of Snug Haven Farm near Paoli had a pile of carrots to sell Saturday at the Dane County Farmers Market.
Paddle & Portage
Paddlers go under the pedestrian/bike bridge at Jenifer Street on Saturday during the Portage & Paddle.
Paddle & Portage
A pair of canoeists cross Sherman Avenue after completing the first leg of Paddle & Portage.
Paddle & Portage
The 41st rendition of Paddle & Portage featured a new route on Saturday. The annual event began at Tenney Park Beach with a 2-mile paddle in Lake Mendota, followed by a portage across Sherman Avenue, then a paddle down the Yahara River and into Lake Monona ending at Olbrich Park Beach. About 200 people took part.
Paddle & Portage
Jim and Karlene Caston made the trip from their home in the village of Oregon to cheer on the participants in Saturday's Paddle & Portage from the Rutledge Street bridge over the Yahara River.
Dugout canoe
Tamara Thomsen, a maritime archaeologist who discovered the Native American dugout canoe in June in Lake Mendota, celebrates the recovery Tuesday with Jim Skibo, Wisconsin's state archaeologist. The canoe was placed in an enclosed trailer for its trip from Spring Harbor Beach to the State Archive Preservation Facility on Madison's Near East Side.
Dugout canoe
A 1,200-year-old dugout canoe was raised from Lake Mendota Tuesday by the Wisconsin Historical Society. The canoe was discovered in June during a recreational dive and is the oldest intact boat ever recovered from Wisconsin waters. The canoe will undergo preservation efforts over the next two years before it can be displayed in a museum.
Dugout canoe
A dugout canoe crafted in A.D. 800 was towed for most of its 1-mile trip to shore but guided by divers in shallow water for the final 100 yards or so to Spring Harbor Beach.
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A volunteer from Christian Aid Ministries rapid response team out of Iowa cuts trees as cleanup continues following an F-3 tornado in Boscobel, Wis., Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
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Donald Oates, right, hands a photo from a pile of debris to his wife Kari as they walk through their home following an F-3 tornado that swept through Boscobel, Wis., Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
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Volunteers from Christian Aid Ministries rapid response team out of Iowa clean up debris from the property of Kari and Donald Oates, whose home was destroyed during an F-3 in Boscobel, Wis., Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
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Inmate Scott Wartzok from the Prairie Du Chien Correctional Institution project crew removes debris at the Boscobel Cemetery following an F-3 tornado in Boscobel, Wis., Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Boscobel
Kathryn Boebel, right, points to the bottom of an uprooted tree that landed on the front of her home, as she and her grandson Brady Boebel, left, decide what to work on next. The property lost several trees to an EF-3 tornado that tore through parts of Boscobel on Aug. 7.
Menominee River
Gabe Stelzer rows his drift boat down the Menominee River as he puts his clients in position to cast for smallmouth bass. Stelzer, a guide for Tight Lines Fly Fishing Co. in De Pere, is concerned about a proposed mine that could be built next to the river in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Menominee River
Signs like this are common along the Menominee River in Marinette County and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A Canadian company wants to build a mine near the river, but is facing fierce opposition.
Menominee River
Gabe Stelzer launches his drift boat last week on the Michigan side of the Menominee River just below the Upper Peninsula's Grand Rapids power dam.
Menominee River
A wide range of flies can be used to catch smallmouth bass on the Menominee River but these top water baits are among the more popular.
Menominee River
The Menominee River winds 116 miles along the boarder of northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum
The evolution of medals through the years are on display at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum.
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum
The 60,000-square-foot U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colo., is about three miles west of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center.
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum
A digital panel U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum shows the history of Madison native Eric Heiden, who won five gold medals at the 1980 Olympics.
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum
This seat from the arena where the 1980 men's U.S. Hockey Team won gold is signed by each member of the team including Madison's Bob Suter and Mark Johnson.
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum
A skate worn by Madison native and Olympic speed skating champion Eric Heiden is displayed in the Winter Olympics gallery at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colo. Heiden is also featured in the museum's Hall of Fame.
J's Black Walnuts
The basket of the Nut Wizard is rolled along the ground and quickly and easily collects black walnuts.
J's Black Walnuts
After the husks are removed by a home-built machine, the black walnuts are placed in a trough of water. The nuts that sink are then pulled from the bottom of the tank and then washed, dried and cured for six weeks. Peterson will spend much of the winter using a vice and wire cutter to remove the meat from the nuts.
J's Black Walnuts
Jesse Peterson harvests fallen black walnuts from the yard of Chris Gill along Syene Road in Fitchburg. The property has about 20 black walnut trees that drop thousands of black walnuts.
J's Black Walnuts
Buckets of black walnuts await processing at Jesse Peterson's town of Milddleton home. Peterson will spend the winter removing the meat from the hard shells.
Dr. Evermor
Karissa Valentine-Harnish of La Crosse, left, and Tanya Hoarn of Winona, Minnesota, take a selfie in front of the illuminated Forevertron sculpture at Dr. Evermor’s Sculpture Park near Baraboo. The lighting of the 300-ton sculpture created in the 1980s was part of a celebration of life for the late artist Tom Every, who died in 2020.
Dr. Evermor
The "egg" at the top of the Forevertron came to life last weekend thanks to the installation of lights for the first time in the metal sculpture's nearly 40-year history.
Dr. Evermor
Thousands of LED lights were installed on, in and around Tom Every’s Forevertron sculpture, illuminated during a celebration in October of the late artist’s life at Dr. Evermor’s Sculpture Park.
Dr. Evermor
A painting by Madison artist Dean Meeker of the late artist Tom Every, also known as Dr. Evermor, sits near the Forevertron sculpture.
Locomotive Restoration
Tyler Roudebush emerges from the firebox at the back of the 1385 steam locomotive that is undergoing a multi-year restoration at SPEC Machine north of Middleton. Roudebush had crawled into the locomotive to help install rocker grates in the bottom of the firebox.
Locomotive Restoration
Steve Roudebush has been working on the 1385 steam locomotive since 2013 and is hoping to complete the $2 million project in the next year or so. He even built an addition onto his machine shop to accommodate the 180,000-pound locomotive that had stints pulling the Great Circus Train.
Locomotive Restoration
Identification plates for the 1385 steam locomotive are closer to being reinstalled. Restoration work on the locomotive could be completed in 2023.
Guns to Garden Tools
The park shelter at Wexford Park on Madison's Far West Side served as the site of Jeff Wild's protest against gun violence. He lives in the neighborhood and brought along a forge, anvil and steel hammer to show how he turns guns into garden tools.
Guns to Garden Tools
This gun barrel is in the process of being transformed into a combination hand spade and rake. The metal is repeatedly heated, split and pounded.
Guns to Garden Tools
Jeff Wild, a retired Lutheran minister, explains how he uses a propane-fueled forge to heat gun barrels to transform the metal into garden tools. Wild was at Wexford Park on Madison's Far West Side last weekend to speak about gun violence and his efforts to bring attention to the issue.
Guns to Garden Tools
Jeff Wild uses a hammer and a 75-pound anvil to form a gun barrel into a garden tool during a demonstration at Wexford Park last weekend.
A Country Christmas at the Driftless Historium
Model tractors and farm implements by Thomas Brunner, of Verona, who died in December 2020, are on display along with oil paintings by Douglas Eames, of Barneveld, as part of a "A Country Christmas: An Artistic Tribute to American Farm Life" at the Driftless Historium in Mount Horeb.
A Country Christmas at the Driftless Historium
Model tractors and farm implements made by Thomas Brunner, who passed away December 2020, are on display along with paintings by Douglas Eames as part of the exhibit at the Driftless Historium in Mount Horeb.
A Country Christmas at the Driftless Historium
Douglas Eames began painting in his late 40s and prefers large-scale works that allow for more detail. His paintings, drawn from his life on a beef cattle farm near Mineral Point, are part of "A Country Christmas: An Artistic Tribute to American Farm Life" at the Mount Horeb Area Historical Society's Driftless Historium.
A Country Christmas at the Driftless Historium
Michael Brunner is often in awe at the working models of farm machinery made by his grandfather, Tom Brunner. Here Michael shows off a two-row, self-powered corn picker that is part of an agricultural exhibit through Jan. 3 at the Driftless Historium in Mount Horeb.
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Lee Road, also known as Rustic Road 121, winds among the rolling hills of Juneau County in the town of Fountain.
Rustic Roads
A shed and chairs add color to the surroundings of Lee Road, also known as Rustic Road 121 in the Juneau County town of Fountain.
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Fallen leaves rest on the lightly-traveled surface of Bundy Hollow Road, recognized as the state’s Rustic Road 112, near the Sauk County town of LaValle, Wis., Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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Leaves from trees lining Lee Road, also known as Wisconsin Rustic Road 121, lie fallen in the Juneau County roadway near the town of Fountain Wis., Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Endeavor
A rosary shares the arm of a chair that Father Dale Grubba uses once a week to pray. The chair gives Grubba a panoramic view of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine outside.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Endeavor
Colored windows featuring hand-drawn Stations of the Cross share a wall inside a chapel at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Endeavor. Father Dale Grubba, who was raised in Endeavor and is a priest at Catholic parishes in Princeton and Neshkoro, is hoping improvements to the property can be completed in the next two years.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Endeavor
Father Dale Grubba is leading the $850,000 effort to restore the little-known Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Endeavor and transform the property with walking paths, gardens, Stations of the Cross and the renovation of a former school and church. The shrine, which includes a glass mosaic pieced together by a pair of nuns with Wisconsin roots, was built in 1964.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Endeavor
Comprised partly of glass shards from discarded Milk of Magnesia jars, whiskey and beer bottles and automobile tail lights, a mosaic created in 1964 by a pair of Catholic nuns is the centerpiece of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Endeavor.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Endeavor
A collection of votive candles not used for years occupy a wall inside a chapel at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Endeavor.
Salt Freighter
A mountain of salt rises at the Port of Milwaukee as it's unloaded from a ship. The dump truck, one of hundreds that can show up in a single day, is waiting to be filled by a front end loader.
Salt Freighter
The Algoma Sault, a 740-foot Canadian-flagged freighter, navigates its way into the Port of Milwaukee after arriving last week from Goderich, Ontario, home to the largest underground salt mine in the world.
Salt Freighter
Salt delivery trucks wait in line to be weighed after being loaded in the Port of Milwaukee last week. The trucks can come from throughout Wisconsin but also Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.
Salt Freighter
Road salt destined for streets and highways throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota pours from the conveyor of the Algoma Sault as it's docked in the Port of Milwaukee.
Barry Adams covers regional news for the Wisconsin State Journal. Send him ideas for the coming year of On Wisconsin at badams@madison.com or 608-252-6148.
